Nigeria worse off now than Babangida’s era – Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the last general elections, has said Nigeria is in a worse condition today than it was during the administration of former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).

Obi made the statement on Thursday after attending the launch of Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

Speaking on Nigeria’s development trajectory, Obi lamented the country’s stagnation in key human development indices compared to its peers.

“In the case of Nigeria, we are worse off than we were during IBB’s era,” he said. “Using our contemporary peers as a benchmark, when IBB left office in 1992, countries like Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, and Ghana were all in the low Human Development Index (HDI) category—just like Nigeria. Today, however, these nations have advanced to medium and high HDI levels, while Nigeria remains in the low HDI category, having either stagnated or declined.”

Read also: How Abacha-led forces annulled June 12 election without my knowledge – Babangida

The former Anambra governor also commended Babangida’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy, particularly in fostering entrepreneurship and private sector growth. He noted that under Babangida’s leadership, Nigeria witnessed substantial growth, especially in the financial sector.

“IBB’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy and his strong support for entrepreneurship and private sector growth remain immeasurable,” Obi stated. “He played a key role in fostering a united and equitable Nigeria, ensuring policies that strengthened national cohesion and economic development.”

Reflecting on the keynote speaker’s address at the book launch, Obi emphasised the democratic progress of Ghana, contrasting it with Nigeria’s flawed electoral system.

“The keynote speaker’s comment that Ghana has remained a truly democratic country for the past 30 years, with leadership transitions that reflect the genuine votes of the people, is instructive,” he said. “Unlike Nigeria, where electoral outcomes often fail to reflect the people’s will, Ghana has witnessed instances where ruling party candidates conceded defeat, respecting democracy in its truest form.”

According to Obi, one of the major highlights of the event was Babangida’s public admission that Chief MKO Abiola won the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election. He described this acknowledgement as a step toward national healing, unity, and progress.

“I hope that one day, other key players in Nigeria’s democracy will find the courage to recognize the true winners of past elections, allowing our nation to tell its story with honesty and reflection,” Obi stated.